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Agreed. Let me put it this way . . . First one, I've seen countless times. 2nd and 3rd? Just bits and pieces here and there. When the first one is on TV, I watch it. The rest, I ignore.
The Matrix films...
Yeah, it's not like it really hints at a cliffhanger ending or anything like Back to the Future sort of does.
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Nobody said it was "all setup." I said the first film was set up for a Neo/Smith confrontation, which is what we got. And there is no lack of closure because the story is about him, not about the whole world of the movie.
The end is there because it signals what will happen without having to depict it, because it would take away from the self-contained story to rush through it.
The end is there because it signals what will happen without having to depict it, because it would take away from the self-contained story to rush through it.
Did you watch the first knowing there were sequels? If so, I daresay that might have changed your perspective, compared to the people who saw it and didn't know sequels were coming when it was released.
Anyway, of course Smith is a lackey, but that doesn't matter. He's an Agent, and we're told early on that nobody stands up to them and lives. So the climax of the film is the moment Neo turns to face him in the subway station, instead of running away like he (and everyone else) does before. If anything the film leans into this too much, because there's a big, slow, dramatic turn, and he throws his arms out defiantly, and the music even swells at the same time, making it painfully obvious that this is what the film has been building towards.
There are also lots of indications that Smith is going rogue compared to the other henchmen. He expresses anger and resentment (the others are consistently stoic), and during the Morpheus torture scene you can even see the other Agents come and say "what are you doing?" That Smith is a lackey, but not acting like one, is the whole point. That Neo is not acting within his constraints, either, mirrors this. They're both trying to break free of an oppressive system for different reasons and in different ways.
The only reason to find this disappointing is if someone watches the film and simply refuses to accept what the movie is telling us it's about the whole time.
Anyway, of course Smith is a lackey, but that doesn't matter. He's an Agent, and we're told early on that nobody stands up to them and lives. So the climax of the film is the moment Neo turns to face him in the subway station, instead of running away like he (and everyone else) does before. If anything the film leans into this too much, because there's a big, slow, dramatic turn, and he throws his arms out defiantly, and the music even swells at the same time, making it painfully obvious that this is what the film has been building towards.
There are also lots of indications that Smith is going rogue compared to the other henchmen. He expresses anger and resentment (the others are consistently stoic), and during the Morpheus torture scene you can even see the other Agents come and say "what are you doing?" That Smith is a lackey, but not acting like one, is the whole point. That Neo is not acting within his constraints, either, mirrors this. They're both trying to break free of an oppressive system for different reasons and in different ways.
The only reason to find this disappointing is if someone watches the film and simply refuses to accept what the movie is telling us it's about the whole time.
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I think that happens disproportionately with sci-fi, because a lot of people watch sci-fi for the ideas. They're often fans of "hard sci-fi," which is about concepts and mechanics and things. A sci-fi story can leave them wanting more when they're watching for those kinds of reasons, rather than treating it simply as a story that happens to be about sci-fi concepts.
Anyway, disappointment is inevitable when the movie is telling us it's going to be one thing and we, for some reason, disbelieve it and hope it becomes something else.
Anyway, disappointment is inevitable when the movie is telling us it's going to be one thing and we, for some reason, disbelieve it and hope it becomes something else.
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Yeah that's true. One movie I thought of now is Dark City, because I read The Matrix used some of the same sets if that's true, but I found Dark City to be a lot better, with a more satisfying third act, but The Matrix went on to be a much bigger hit.
Both films were shot in Australia, so yeah.
I'd have to watch Dark City again to be sure, but
I'd have to watch Dark City again to be sure, but
WARNING: "Dark City" spoilers below
doesn't the third act hinge on something of a deus ex machina when the protagonist gets instantly injected with the knowledge of how to use the villains' reality-warping powers? The Matrix uses a similar concept to teach Neo his skills during the second act, but that doesn't mean he immediately realises his full potential.
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I always defend the 2nd one, an amazing follow up. The 5 second clip of Morpheus fighting the ghost twins in the garage with a samurai sword is worth the price of admission.
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Nobody said it was "all setup." I said the first film was set up for a Neo/Smith confrontation, which is what we got. And there is no lack of closure because the story is about him, not about the whole world of the movie.
The end is there because it signals what will happen without having to depict it, because it would take away from the self-contained story to rush through it.
The end is there because it signals what will happen without having to depict it, because it would take away from the self-contained story to rush through it.
Both films were shot in Australia, so yeah.
I'd have to watch Dark City again to be sure, but
I'd have to watch Dark City again to be sure, but
WARNING: "Dark City" spoilers below
doesn't the third act hinge on something of a deus ex machina when the protagonist gets instantly injected with the knowledge of how to use the villains' reality-warping powers? The Matrix uses a similar concept to teach Neo his skills during the second act, but that doesn't mean he immediately realises his full potential.
I don't think that
WARNING: spoilers below
it's a deus ex machina because through the film we learn that he'd already had the abilities. Because the powers are entirely mental, it makes sense that once he is given the relevant memories, he's able to perform the "tuning". I think that it all fits with what we're shown during the film.
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That's good to hear. Will check out "Matrix 2".
However once that's out the way the last 90 minutes as far as I'm concerned are basically a masterpiece.
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Exactly. I think that The Matrix works perfectly as a stand-alone film. I went to watch the first sequel at some point, but I turned it off about 10 or 15 minutes into it. I just didn't like the vibe and the first film ended in a great way.
I love both films almost equally (okay, maybe I give Dark City a bit of an edge), so I don't bring a strong bias to this:
I don't think that
I love both films almost equally (okay, maybe I give Dark City a bit of an edge), so I don't bring a strong bias to this:
I don't think that
WARNING: spoilers below
it's a deus ex machina because through the film we learn that he'd already had the abilities. Because the powers are entirely mental, it makes sense that once he is given the relevant memories, he's able to perform the "tuning". I think that it all fits with what we're shown during the film.
https://movieweb.com/the-matrix-transgender-metaphor/
Well, this explains why I was obsessed with these flicks in college. I must have watched them 40-50 times.
Well, this explains why I was obsessed with these flicks in college. I must have watched them 40-50 times.
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I thought Matrix 2 was pretty good. It needed a good edit, but it had enough good scenes to work. The conversation with the Architect is my favorite scene in the trilogy.
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I feel like that in the article, that the co-creator only says it's an allegory for publicity and that it was not intended that way originally. I feel like she is just saying it is, just because others are saying it.
However, I would hardly say it's a metaphor for that from my interpretation of the movie.
However, I would hardly say it's a metaphor for that from my interpretation of the movie.
Or it could just be that she's glad that so many people have picked up on the subtext that was always in the film and that the culture has shifted enough in the past couple of decades that it can be acknowledged more openly (especially considering that the Jumanji sequels actually did manage to have characters change genders while in virtual reality and nobody really cared). Certain aspects of the film also play much differently in light of this particular interpretation, like how Agent Smith's persistence in referring to Neo by his old name of "Mister Anderson" is akin to referring to a trans person by their deadname (especially when there's a gendered honorific like "Mister" involved).
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Or it could just be that she's glad that so many people have picked up on the subtext that was always in the film and that the culture has shifted enough in the past couple of decades that it can be acknowledged more openly (especially considering that the Jumanji sequels actually did manage to have characters change genders while in virtual reality and nobody really cared). Certain aspects of the film also play much differently in light of this particular interpretation, like how Agent Smith's persistence in referring to Neo by his old name of "Mister Anderson" is akin to referring to a trans person by their deadname (especially when there's a gendered honorific like "Mister" involved).
And I always got the vibe that Switch was supposed to be trans in the Matrix. Now I know that was the original intent I could see that would not have gone over well at the time.
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I feel like that in the article, that the co-creator only says it's an allegory for publicity and that it was not intended that way originally.
1:13 "There’s a critical eye being cast back on Lana and I's work through the lens of our transness. This is a cool thing because it's an excellent reminder that art is never static."
This was in 2016, so what Lily's saying now isn't publicity; It's being more open about the film's intention (or one of its intentions anyway)
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The general feeling, which I also have is the two sequels are huge let downs but I'll admit they can be pretty to look at...
Not seen in a long while but most memorable scenes from the sequels for me, is the action scenes on the motorway
Not seen in a long while but most memorable scenes from the sequels for me, is the action scenes on the motorway
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Do you know what a roller pigeon is, Barney? They climb high and fast, then roll over and fall just as fast toward the earth. There are shallow rollers and deep rollers. You can’t breed two deep rollers, or their young will roll all the way down, hit, and die. Officer Starling is a deep roller, Barney. We should hope one of her parents was not.
Do you know what a roller pigeon is, Barney? They climb high and fast, then roll over and fall just as fast toward the earth. There are shallow rollers and deep rollers. You can’t breed two deep rollers, or their young will roll all the way down, hit, and die. Officer Starling is a deep roller, Barney. We should hope one of her parents was not.
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The general feeling, which I also have is the two sequels are huge let downs but I'll admit they can be pretty to look at...
Not seen in a long while but most memorable scenes from the sequels for me, is the action scenes on the motorway
Not seen in a long while but most memorable scenes from the sequels for me, is the action scenes on the motorway
What did it ever do to them?!
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